Guinan
Guinan was a mysterious bartender who ran Ten Forward, the lounge aboard the . She was well known for her wise counsel, which proved invaluable many times. Guinan was an El-Aurian, a race of "listeners" who were scattered by the Borg. Q, however, once suggested that there was far more to her than could be imagined. ( ; ) Early life Guinan was born on her homeworld sometime before Earth's late 19th century. In her childhood, she had a Tarcassian razor beast as an imaginary friend. When she was troubled, she'd talk to it. She enjoyed imagining that she was curling up on its warm belly. As she grew older, she found that she talked to it less and less, but the idea of the creature always remained with her. ( ) As a mature adult, Guinan hid from her father on Earth (prior to the planet's first official contact with an alien race), posing as a celebrated and obviously wealthy socialite in San Francisco, calling herself "Madame" Guinan. While there, she entertained such luminaries as Samuel Clemens. ( ) In 1893, Guinan encountered Data, from the 24th century, who claimed they were friends from the Enterprise. Guinan had no knowledge of this and when she expressed her absence of awareness about the situation, it allowed Data to quickly realize that he was dealing with the Guinan of this era rather than from his own time. She learned about his predicament and agreed to help in any way she could in stopping the Devidians and returning Data to the 24th century. She also met Jean-Luc Picard, William T. Riker, Geordi La Forge, Deanna Troi, and Dr. Beverly Crusher from Data's time. When Data prevented the Devidians from attacking them, he was decapitated but the rest of his body, along with Samuel Clemens and the Enterprise crew (sans Picard), traveled back to the 24th century. Picard stayed behind to make sure Guinan was all right. When Clemens helped Picard return, he saw to Guinan's wounds. ( ) Guinan had "some dealings" with Q sometime during the 22nd century and also other members of the Q Continuum, some of whom she said "were almost respectable." Her relationship with Q was evidently hostile. Centuries later, Q described Guinan as an "imp" and stated, "Where she goes, trouble always follows." Around the 22nd century, Guinan, according to Q, went by another name. ( ) in 2293]] Following the destruction of her homeworld by the Borg in the 23rd century, Guinan became a refugee aboard the in 2293. She, along with the rest of her ship, subsequently became caught in the Nexus, an experience she described as "being inside joy." Along with most of the other El-Aurian refugees, Guinan was traumatized upon being pulled out of the Nexus. In 2371, Captain Picard conferred with the "echo" of Guinan who remained in the timeless Nexus and, with her help, was eventually able to leave the Nexus. ( ) Aboard the USS Enterprise-D Guinan came aboard the Enterprise-D in 2365, at Captain Picard's personal request. Guinan and Picard shared a long-time relationship, which, according to Guinan, went "beyond friendship and beyond family." ( ) However, she also claimed she only "knew" Picard after boarding the Enterprise. ( ) In Ten Forward, Guinan kept a selection of alcoholic beverages for special occasions, in opposition to regulations Starfleet stipulated regarding synthehol. These drinks included a bottle of Aldebaran whiskey given to her by Captain Picard. ( ) Guinan's quarters aboard the Enterprise-D were located on Deck 8, Room 3150. She also had an office located on Deck 10, adjacent to Ten Forward. ( ) As lounge host, Guinan made herself available to anyone in need, especially to the senior staff, as an informal counselor. In mid-2366, Lieutenant Commander Data believed spending time in Ten Forward, observing Human social interaction, would be beneficial for his android "offspring" called Lal. With Guinan's guidance, Lal worked as a waitress for a brief period. ( ) No stranger to the phaser range, Guinan once beat Worf on Level 14, firing left-handed. ( ) When, in 2367, REM sleep-deprived crewmembers began to draft conspiracy theories about the Enterprise being unable to escape a Tyken's Rift, Guinan was able to defuse the situation, thanks to an energy-beam rifle she had acquired on Magus III. ( ) In early 2369, Guinan, together with Captain Picard, Ro Laren, and Keiko O'Brien, was affected by an anomaly that caused them to revert to the bodies of twelve-year-olds due to the effects of a molecular reversion field. While Captain Picard temporarily stepped down from command, a group of Ferengi commandeered the Enterprise. Believing Guinan to be a child, they confined her to a classroom aboard the ship. She, Picard, Ro Laren, and Keiko O'Brien, however, with the help of Alexander Rozhenko, were able to devise a plan to retake the Enterprise from the Ferengi. ( ) In 2371, Guinan cautioned Captain Picard that Dr. Tolian Soran was seeking to return to the Nexus, which Guinan described as a doorway to a paradisiacal place. She also warned Picard that anyone who entered the Nexus would never want to leave it and that, should someone be forcefully taken away from the Nexus, their desire to return to it might make them extremely dangerous. When Picard was trapped in the Nexus shortly thereafter, an "echo" of Guinan that had remained there after the rest of her left the Nexus reminded him to focus on his mission: to prevent Soran from destroying the Veridian sun. With the help of Captain Kirk, Picard succeeded in stopping Soran and was able to escape from the Nexus. Guinan, meanwhile, was among many individuals who survived an emergency crash landing of the Enterprise. ( ) , which was co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg as well as other comedians, in the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation performed a pre-filmed scene in costume where promotional material from the event was apparently found in an archeological dig on Earth. After describing the charity and its mission, Data made a comment that one of the hosts was a "Whoo-Pi Goldberg" and brought up a picture of her on the viewscreen. When Dr. Crusher commented that this "Whoo-Pi" looked an awful lot like the long-lived Guinan, the crew pondered this for a moment before dismissing it with a collective, "Nah."}} Dealings with Q Guinan met Q again aboard the Enterprise in 2365, at which time Q was surprised to see her; he also questioned whether the name given was her current alias, indicating that she had used another name upon a previous encounter. He advised Picard to get Guinan off the ship, and added he would be more than pleased to "expedite her departure." In response, Guinan raised her hands, implying she had some sort of ability to defend herself from Q's powers. However, Guinan did not take any further action against Q as, before she could do so, he returned his attention to Picard with a dismissive taunt aimed at Guinan: "Enough about this creature; she's diverting us from the purpose of my being here." Although Q then remarked that Humanity was not ready for what awaited it, Guinan defended Humans, arguing that they "learn to adapt." As Q continued making his proposals to Picard, Guinan let off a snort of disgust, then protested Q's throwing the Enterprise into the verges of space. After the encounter, Guinan talked to Picard about how Q had set a series of events in motion. Their contact with the Borg, she claimed, had come long before it should have. When they were ready, it might have been possible to establish a relationship with the Borg, but for then Humanity was only raw material to them. In addition, since the Borg were aware of their existence, they would be coming. Picard responded that Q might have done the right thing for the wrong reasons, as the Federation needed a good kick in its complacency to get it ready for what was ahead. ( ) Guinan's second encounter with Q while on board the Enterprise came a year later, in 2366. Q was, at the time, stripped of his powers by the Continuum and requested asylum aboard the Enterprise, a request Picard reluctantly granted. When Data informed her that the captain and much of the crew were not yet convinced Q was truly Human, Guinan casually picked up a fork from beside a patron's plate on the bar and stabbed Q's hand. When the latter cried out in agony, Guinan commented, "Seems Human enough to me." She told Q he was a pitiful excuse for a Human and the only way he was going to survive would be by the charity of others. Q's powers were later restored by the other members of the Continuum. ( ) Personal interests Fencing In late 2368, Guinan was coached by Picard in fencing. In a series of matches later in November of that year, she lost the first match that day, saying she didn't think she liked the sport. Picard replied she liked it well enough two weeks prior, when she scored two touches on him. They then took a moment to relax and soon found themselves talking about Hugh, the Borg drone Picard had allowed to be taken on board. To Guinan's question whether taking Hugh on board was wise, Picard replied it was an errand of mercy, and that Dr. Crusher decided for humanitarian reasons to care for him. They rose again for their second match in which they advanced and retreated a few times, parrying. Then Guinan lunged, stumbled and grabbed at her leg – apparently she had pulled a muscle. Picard lowered his foil and started toward her in concern. Suddenly Guinan was upon him, swiftly knocking the foil from his hand and scoring a touch upon his chest. "You felt sorry for me," she said. "Look what it got you". She did, however, after speaking with Hugh herself, change her opinion on the matter. ( ) Personal relationships Family Guinan was born sometime prior to the 19th century, Earth calendar. Her father was seven hundred years old as of the 24th century. ( ) In her life, Guinan married twenty-three times and had "a lot" of children. ( ; ) She had a good relationship with her maternal uncle Terkim, the black sheep of the family. ( ) However, Guinan once had some relatively unusual (for her species) difficulty with relating to one of her sons, as he wouldn't listen to anyone. After several hundred years, Guinan managed to persuade him to open up to her, convincing him to do so just by listening to him, though she didn't initially realize she was thereby shaping him. ( ) Friendships Immediately upon coming aboard the Enterprise, Guinan was able to draw the attention of many people because of the mysteries surrounding her age and origin. Except for Captain Picard, none of the Enterprise crewmembers had met her, but she soon developed a friendly relationship with many members of its senior staff. ( ) In 2365, Guinan and Riker attempted to counsel Wesley Crusher regarding his relationship with Salia. As Riker pretended to flirt with Guinan, they proved their own advice inadvisable. ( ) Jean-Luc Picard Guinan and Jean-Luc Picard shared a long-term relationship, which, according to her, went "beyond friendship and beyond family". ( ) Picard also made a similar confession, stating that their relationship was something that went "far beyond friendship". ( ) She also once said to Geordi La Forge that she was attracted to bald men. ( ) In return, Picard once remarked that Guinan was "very selective about whom she calls a friend". ( ) Guinan often advised Picard in times of dilemma. In 2365, Data's rights as an individual were challenged when cybernetics expert Commander Bruce Maddox wanted to disassemble the android for study. Picard challenged Maddox's assessment before the local Judge Advocate General. As the hearing neared its end, Picard admitted to Guinan he feared he was losing the case. Guinan asked what Maddox would gain if he should be successful in disassembling and reassembling Data. Picard responded that he would possess the ability to build many more androids. He remembered Guinan's words that the decisions we make today have implications for the future, and so Picard reasoned that if it were decided that Data was indeed Starfleet property, all future androids would be also. Guinan noted there was an ancient word for that – slavery. Eventually, Picard won Data's case by pointing out that an entire race of Datas would be used as slaves – strictly against Federation principles. ( ) Guinan also participated in several recreational activities with Picard. In 2367, she featured as cousin Gloria in one of Picard's Dixon Hill holonovels. She, however, was not much impressed with the program. ( ) Besides joining Picard on the holodeck, Guinan occasionally shared a game of chess with him, and Picard also coached her in fencing in 2368, begun when she considered exercise to strengthen her arm. Shortly prior to their match, the Enterprise had taken on board a Borg drone, at that point named Hugh. Although Guinan initially questioned Picard's decision in that matter, she was convinced by La Forge to speak with the former drone. She could not help but acknowledge that this Borg was developing a personality, becoming an individual. Upon her conversation with Hugh, she convinced Picard to speak with him as well. ( ) Beverly Crusher In 2366 Beverly Crusher, seeing her son socialize with other teenagers, asked Guinan whether she had any children. Guinan replied she had a lot, and Crusher inquired whether she had ever had trouble with any of them. Guinan said she had with one who went through a phase when "he wouldn't listen to anybody" – something unusual "in a species of listeners." Asked how he had grown out of it, Guinan explained a mother shapes her child in ways she doesn't even realize, sometimes just by listening. ( ) When Crusher was relieved of duty in 2369, Guinan visited her in her quarters, claiming she sought treatment for her tennis elbow, which she claimed was caused by an unsuccessful tennis match with Geordi La Forge. As Crusher began to talk about her recent actions, she explained she had illegally performed an autopsy on the Ferengi scientist Reyga, who had appeared to have committed suicide. As Crusher later found out, the Takaran scientist Jo'Bril had in fact murdered Reyga in order to discredit the Ferengi. Upon Guinan's encouragement, Crusher eventually discovered Jo'Bril's plan, prevented him from stealing Reyga's research data, and proved the technology was valid. She was exonerated and returned to duty shortly following the incident. In order to thank Guinan for her encouragement, Crusher presented her with a state-of-the-art tennis racket, upon which Guinan admitted she had never played tennis. ( ) Wesley Crusher In early 2365, Wesley Crusher was reluctantly preparing to leave the Enterprise and join his mother, who had departed to become head of Starfleet Medical. When he was staring out the windows of Ten Forward, Guinan approached him, asking him whether he wanted anything to drink. As they talked, Guinan asked him three more times during their conversation, and when Wesley pointed that out, she replied it was what she was expected to do, asking if he didn't always do what was expected of him? He replied he tried to, because sometimes you have to consider others more than yourself. Guinan responded that the question was to know when to consider yourself more than others and to give yourself permission to be selfish. Their conversation made Wesley decide to stay on board the Enterprise after all. ( ) Geordi La Forge Guinan would often advise, or rather cheer up, Geordi La Forge after one of his dates went poorly. Thus, in early 2366, La Forge sought her advice after his date, Christy Henshaw, admitted she was not in love with him. When La Forge asked about what Guinan sought in a man, she replied she was attracted to bald men, because long ago one saved her life (Picard had "saved" the 19th century Guinan by remaining with her as she was injured by a time portal, as help came by). La Forge went on explaining that he never knew what to say around women. When Guinan remarked that he did not appear uncomfortable at the time, La Forge replied that he wasn't "trying" when he was speaking with her. Guinan replied: "That's my point", making him realize he was only uncomfortable when trying to chat up a girl. A few days later, La Forge found himself rather smitten with a holographic recreation of Dr. Leah Brahms. ( ) A little over a year later, he got the chance to meet the real Dr. Brahms and found her much less charming than her holographic version. At the time, he again sought Guinan's advice. ( ) Worf In mid-2366 Guinan first approached Worf, introducing him to the Terran beverage of prune juice. Although the drink was generally unpopular among Humans, Worf called it "a warrior's drink". As Guinan sat down at his table, she asked Worf why he always sat alone. Worf looked at her with vague irritation as the conversation was venturing into areas he preferred to avoid. Worf replied he would require a Klingon woman for companionship as Human females were too fragile. Despite Guinan's claim that she knew one or two women on board who might find him a bit tame, Worf laughed and refuted this as "impossible". Guinan teasingly called him a coward for not wanting to meet them, upon which Worf replied he was merely concerned for the safety of his crewmates. ( ) When the Klingon Civil War erupted in 2367, Worf was torn between remaining in Starfleet service and joining Gowron against the House of Duras. While practicing their skills in the phaser range, Guinan asked Worf how his son, Alexander, was doing. Worf replied he was having difficulties adjusting to life on Earth, to which Guinan responded that the time would come when Alexander would find out what it really meant to be Klingon, just as the time had now come for Worf. Worf would later request a leave of absence, and with the help of Captain Picard would reveal Romulan assistance to the Duras cause in the civil war. ( ) Ro Laren When the Bajoran Ensign Ro Laren came aboard the Enterprise in 2368, she immediately drew everyone's attention. After discussing Ro with La Forge, Guinan sat next to Ensign Ro in Ten Forward. Although Ro initially claimed she did not want any company, Guinan remarked that she would have stayed in her quarters if that were true. As they talked, Ro commented that Guinan was not like any bartender she had ever met, to which Guinan responded that Laren was unlike any Starfleet officer she had ever met and that this might be the start of an interesting relationship. Ro objected mildly to this, saying she never stayed anywhere long enough to make friends. Guinan said that she had just made one. When Ro was later confined to her quarters, Guinan visited her there. Ro decided to confide in Guinan after her new friend told her that people like themselves, who had lost their homes, sometimes felt like they had no control over their own lives. Ro confessed she was in great trouble. Guinan advised that she herself had been in great trouble once and that she would still have been had she not trusted one man. This conversation was instrumental in Ro's decision to reveal to Captain Picard that Admiral Kennelly had made a pact with the Cardassians in order to eliminate Bajoran "terrorists". ( ) When Guinan, Ro, Picard, and Keiko O'Brien were transformed into children, Guinan took the opportunity to enjoy her 'second childhood'. Ro, however, found the idea of 'enjoying' their current situation idiotic and pointless, particularly since Ro herself had not had much of a first childhood. Guinan took her feelings as a challenge, and during the time that followed tried to provoke Ro into enjoying their situation, such as jumping on the bed. Later, after they aided in defeating a group of Ferengi who had taken over the ship, La Forge and Data managed to return everyone to their proper age. Ro surprisingly now found herself reluctant to return to adulthood. When she didn't show up for treatment, Guinan went in search of her, finding her in her quarters drawing pictures of her mother with crayons. Guinan reminded Ro that she would need to 'grow up' again, but also said there was no rush, as she joined Ro in drawing. ( ) Ro remained on board the Enterprise and continued her friendship with Guinan until 2370, when she decided to join a Maquis faction. ( ) Alternate timelines In an alternate version of 2366 that featured the Federation fighting against the Klingons, Guinan was still working in Ten Forward, though it was altered to befit the military nature of the timeline. She was the only one aboard who noticed the changes, which had followed upon the arriving from the year 2344. Data speculated that Guinan's species, El-Aurians, could perceive alternate timelines. Guinan advised Captain Picard to send the Enterprise-C back to its own time in order to restore the timeline, an idea Picard tried with success. ( ) Guinan remained aware of the now-reverted changes in the restored timeline. ( ) Hologram of Guinan]] As part of Reginald Barclay's holo-addiction, he created a recreation of the including a holographic duplicate of Guinan. ( ) Chronology San Francisco Register on Earth]] ;1893: Guinan hides from her father on Earth ;22nd century: Guinan has dealings with Q ;2293: Guinan is rescued by the after her transport ship, the Lakul, is caught in the Nexus ribbon. ;2365: Guinan comes aboard the Enterprise-D at Captain Picard's personal request ;2367: When REM sleep-deprived crewmembers begin to draft conspiracy theories about the Enterprise s inability to escape the Tyken's Rift, Guinan is able to defuse the situation, thanks to an energy-beam rifle she had acquired on Magus III ;2368: Guinan convinces the former Borg drone Hugh that, despite the Collective's claim, resistance is not futile, and that her own survival is the living proof of that ;2369: Guinan, together with Captain Picard, Ro Laren and Keiko O'Brien, is reverted to the body of a twelve-year-old due to the effects of a molecular reversion field. ;2371: Guinan is among those who survived the crash of the Enterprise-D ;2379: Guinan is present at the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi Appendices Appearances * ** (Season 2) ** ** ** ** ** (Archive footage from "The Dauphin") ** (Season 3) ** ** ** ** ** ** ** (Season 4) ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** (Season 5) ** ** ** ** ** (Season 6) ** ** * Movies: ** ** Background information ]] According to the script for "The Child", Guinan was pronounced "GUY-nun." Guinan was played by Whoopi Goldberg, who was first introduced in the episode . Goldberg got the role after she expressed interest to the producers, being a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series – mostly due to Nichelle Nichols, one of the first black women to be regularly featured in an American television series. (Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book, Trek: The Unauthorized Behind-The-Scenes Story of The Next Generation) When Goldberg learned that her friend LeVar Burton had been cast in a role on the new Star Trek series, she asked him to tell Gene Roddenberry that she wanted to be on the show too, but the producers thought she was joking and did not take the request seriously. The following year, Goldberg took it upon herself to contact Roddenberry directly. (Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book) According to Roddenberry, Goldberg called him up and said, "I am a ''Star Trek fan, I was a Star Trek fan long before I was ever Whoopi Goldberg, and I'm wondering if there's some part I can play in your show." (The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next) According to Maurice Hurley, Roddenberry and Hurley thought this was a joke by Goldberg and asked her if she would really work on ''The Next Generation; Goldberg replied, "I am successful now and I can do what I like!" ("Mission Overview, Year Three - Whoopi Goldberg", TNG Season 2 DVD special features) Roddenberry had originally intended the Enterprise s bartender to be played by "the most beautiful girl in all creation." (Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special) When Whoopi Goldberg asked him for a role in his new Star Trek show, he gave it to her and rewrote the character in the process. (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations': The Multicultural Evolution of Star Trek, Heidelberg: Winter, 2004) Guinan was named for , a famed female saloon owner from Texas during the early 20th century. (Star Trek Encyclopedia, 3rd ed., p. 180; "Mission Overview Year Three - Guinan Returns", TNG Season 3 DVD special features) Goldberg described Guinan as primarily "a cross between and ," but admitted that she put a lot of her own personality into the character as well. (Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book) In the first draft story outline of , only a single reference to Guinan was made, as she was stated to give "a little support" to a research team, consisting of Wesley Crusher, Geordi La Forge, and Data, while they figured out a potential tactical vulnerability in the Borg. However, she doesn't do that in the final edit of the episode, in which she features in only one scene, where she instead has a chat with Picard. Guinan wasn't mentioned at all in the story outline for (while that episode had the working title "Crossroads"), despite having one scene in that installment, too. As evidenced by the first draft script of TNG Season 6 outing , Guinan was originally to have been included in that episode. She would have met Montgomery Scott and voiced a doubt about him claiming to have been drinking Scotch before she had been born. She eventually served Scott a green drink, the contents of which she was uncertain about. In the final draft of the script, though, Guinan's role in the episode was rewritten with a waiter and Data instead, the final version of the scene containing only a reference to Guinan. Regarding Guinan's taste for large hats, the first time she is seen without a hat is on the fencing court in ; the first time she is seen without headgear of any kind is in . (When in Human costume, or disguise, in or , she has always accessorized with an era-appropriate hat.) In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode , the writers, Jim Trombetta and Michael Piller, intended the character of Martus Mazur to be a son of Guinan. Guinan herself was to appear in the episode, but Whoopi Goldberg was unavailable. All the references to Guinan were removed and only Martus' status as an El-Aurian was retained. Although that episode was the first to name Guinan's species, she herself was not identified as an El-Aurian until . Rumors of her appearing on Deep Space Nine began circulating as early as the opening of DS9 Season 1. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Trek: The Next Generation Crew Book) Commenting on Guinan's absence in , Ronald D. Moore said, "We decided fairly early on that Guinan wouldn't be in the movie because she wasn't part of our storyline and we didn't want to shoehorn the character in." Guinan was temporarily considered for inclusion in VOY Season 5 installments and . In the latter case, the possibility of her appearing in "Timeless" influenced Brannon Braga to assign LeVar Burton as the episode's director early in the writing of the episode. "I had actually, on behalf of Brannon and the company, approached Whoop to see how she would feel about it," Burton recalled. "They wanted to sort of take the temperature before they dove head first into the script. Whoop was tickled at the prospect." Since the writers found it too difficult to devise a story they felt was good enough to warrant Guinan being in it, the notion of including the character was left by the wayside. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 31, No. 11, p. 51) Apocrypha Guinan makes brief contact with three stranded Iramahl in 1892 in Elusive Salvation. The Star Trek: Stargazer novel Oblivion depicts Picard's first meeting with Guinan from his perspective, with Guinan currently in a deep state of depression after being torn out of the Nexus, tormented by her 'reunion' with her youngest daughter in the Nexus before her daughter was lost to the Borg. In the course of her encounter with Picard, Guinan is reminded that it is still possible to find joy in this universe, particularly when Picard risks his mission to rescue her. In the novel Engines of Destiny, it is revealed that Guinan was indirectly responsible for Montgomery Scott being on the Jenolem when it crashed on the Dyson Sphere. In the course of the novel, Scott changes history by going back in time to rescue Kirk from the Enterprise-B, but this inadvertently results in a timeline where Earth has been assimilated by the Borg in the events of Star Trek: First Contact, although El-Auria has been spared. When the Enterprise-D goes back in time as well to try and intercept Scott, they encounter Guinan's alternate self, whose memories of the original timeline- including her meeting with Picard in San Francisco- help her recognize that history has been altered, accepting the assistance of the Enterprise in restoring history. In the novel Greater than the Sum, Guinan returns to the Enterprise-E in the wake of a new Borg invasion, officiating at his wedding to Beverly Crusher, but she departs the ship at the conclusion of the novel as she concludes that she can best serve Picard by letting him face his problems without her, rather than relying on each other out of fear. External links * * * de:Guinan es:Guinan fr:Guinan it:Guinan nl:Guinan pt:Guinan Category:El-Aurians Category:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel Category:Athletes Category:Holograms